Life & Times of Sarah Jane Smith and Mrs Wormwood
by Scarlet Secret
Summary: In 21 scenes the life of two woman thrown together by a series of unforseen events.
1. Moving in

1.

The Bane had been vanquished once more and had returned to the skies thinking that their prey was dead, without realising that the prey in question was quite safely hiding where they were least likely to find her.

In his home at 13 Bannerman Road Luke Smith was hiding in the attic, trying desperately to overhear the increasingly heated conversation between his mother and his, well, other mother he supposed. His feelings towards Mrs Wormwood were decidedly mixed. Although she had been their enemy, she'd created him and in the same vein had saved them all from attempts on their lives – from her fellow Bane. There'd been a fight and a fair number of Bane had advanced on them but Mrs Wormwood had stepped in, stopping them with her ring - after that everybody had been on the floor. Luke didn't know exactly what had happened but the Bane had vanished and Mrs Wormwood was still here. Without too much thought Sarah Jane had bundled everybody into her car and shakily began to drive home, dropping off Clyde along the way. Both he and Rani had been less than eager to go but she had promised them they could visit the following day. He had been banished upstairs and when he was halfway up he'd hear them start discussing the new living arrangements.

"Where am I to sleep?"

"I have another room spare. Junk room really, you'll have to make do with the settee until I can get you a bed. I suppose I might as well, I feel as though I'm running a boarding house for ex-aliens."

"Ex-aliens. Don't be absurd! The archetype--"

"His name is Luke."

"Fine. Luke is and always has been a human. And I am a higher species, I just…"

"What?"

"Oh…nothing."

"If you're going to stay here Mrs Wormwood I need to know what happened back there. Only in case they try something else."

Luke recognised that tone of voice; it was the one his mother used when there was to be no argument. He had an inkling that Mrs Wormwood might be able to withstand the stern voice with more success than he himself did, but as much as he tried to strain his ears he could hear nothing. He silently padded down the stairs, stopping on the second floor to glance into the other spare room. There was nothing but junk to his eyes, he was sure some of it must mean a lot to Sarah Jane, and he anticipated a weekend spent boxing up the old stuff. His eyes focussed upon a yellow tracksuit-looking-thing and his mouth quirked into a smile when he imagined Sarah Jane's embarrassment when everybody else saw it. He found her very endearing when she was embarrassed.

After what seemed like hours of silence his mother called for him to come downstairs. When he arrived it was to find Sarah Jane Smith quite calmly stirring a pot of tea, whilst adding a generous measure of the whiskey she thought he didn't know about, and Mrs Wormwood lying flat on the settee, apparently testing out how comfortable it was. Both were silent but there was no tension in the room.

"What's going on?"

"She's staying here with us."

"Why?"

Mrs Wormwood twisted her head to look at Sarah Jane before she responded in what seemed to Luke an entirely alien manoeuvre; he tried not to look at her too much although he did consider whether he could do it too.

"Because I said so. Now go and fetch some linen from the cupboard upstairs please."

Without questioning her Luke ran back up the stairs. If his mother thought Mrs Wormwood was safe to live with them then he would trust her, despite thinking she always went slightly odd whenever the redhead was around. He made sure that all the sheets he got were purple.


	2. Do all Bane eat like this?

2.

Sarah Jane remembers all kinds of random, silly, useless facts the Doctor told her in the time they spent together. She remembers that the planet nearest to Earth wasn't Mars but in fact a completely invisible planet populated entirely by varieties of crustaceans; that you should always have your towel with you just in case; and that hummingbirds eat their own weight everyday. It is this last fact she recalls whenever she sees Mrs Wormwood eat. She suspects the Bane must share some kind of DNA with hummingbirds.

Luke had been the same when he first arrived; gobbling up anything she put in front of him with gusto, although she had assumed at the time that this was because he was newly introduced to food and grateful to be fed at all. Apparently she had been wrong and Mrs Wormwood had put more of herself into her creation than Sarah Jane had realised.

In the ten days that Mrs Wormwood had been living with them, Sarah Jane had made almost as many trips to the shops to restock her shelves. Luke had been thrilled. He'd had meals that he'd never had before and was allowed to eat as many portions as he like because, unlike the usual way of things, his mother didn't shake her head vaguely at him when he reached for thirds. The only downside was that one had to eat quite quickly these days in order to get anything at all. Again Luke wasn't complaining. Sarah Jane could only roll her eyes in vague annoyance at the increasingly irritating similarities, although they didn't devastate her as much as she though they would.

"Stop watching me, I'm not going to eat you."

Mrs Wormwood was currently devouring her fifth helping of the cherry pie that Sarah Jane hadn't made, but purchased earlier that day. Luke had long since departed the dinner table to get on his computer and Sarah Jane was slumped in her seat, not registering that she was staring, too caught up in wondering how all that food could fit into Mrs Wormwood's reasonably small frame.

"Sorry, I was, erm, just thinking of something."

"How illuminating."

"Just… eat your pie!"

Sarah Jane was on her feet, and considering where to go from here when Mrs Wormwood delicately wiped the corner of her mouth, quite clearly hiding a smile. She decided that a dramatic exit was not on the cards and slumped back into her seat, contemplating whether she could allow herself another slice. Or rather whether she would be allowed one.

"Do all Bane eat like this?"

For a moment Mrs Wormwood looked like she was ignoring the question, her loose hair falling across her face as she bowed her head to consume the last mouthful. She chewed thoughtfully and for a moment looked almost ashamed, before her usual disdain returned.

"Well usually what we eat is somewhat larger in size."

The implication did not go unheeded.

"Would you like another piece?"

"Please."

"That's the last one, will you still be hungry afterwards?"

"Probably."

"All I have left now are old jars and cans in the back of the cupboard. Are you hungry enough to be a daredevil?"

She was. Sarah Jane sat in a state of amazement and wondered suddenly if Mrs Wormwood would eat anything put in front of her. The implications of her own thoughts occurred to her and she blushed furiously; thankfully Mrs Wormwood was too distracted by corned beef to notice Sarah Jane frantically looking anywhere but at the aliens mouth.


	3. Advanced Maths

3.

"Mum, can I go to the park with Clyde?"

The calm that had settled in the Smith household after their latest adventure meant that for once they could indulge in normal activities. Sarah Jane was deeply immersed in an article that had sounded very boring to the others the moment she had admitted there was nothing paranormal about it. Mrs Wormwood was reading steadily through the considerable pile of books that Sarah Jane had provided for her cultural education. Their harmony in the past week had been almost unnerving to Luke's mind so when Clyde had offered a way out he leapt upon it.

"Have you finished all your homework?"

Anticipating a question such as this Luke had brought the work downstairs to offer his mother proof, although he knew that she would glance at it, not fully understanding everything (Mathematics was most definitely not a strong point for Sarah Jane Smith) and would smile at him in praise before allowing him to leave.

"Yes, I've got it here as proof. Will you check it?"

She'd say no as she was busy working and he could be out with Clyde in a matter of minutes!

"Erm…I'm a little bit busy Luke."

'Excellent!' he thought.

"Give it to Mrs Wormwood, I'm sure she won't mind."

Both the woman in question and Luke stared openly at Sarah Jane for a long moment and she was vaguely unnerved by the identical look in both the blue and brown orbs gazing back at her. Eventually Mrs Wormwood seemed to compose herself and stretched out her hand for the papers, the other hand marking the page in her book. She glanced over it only briefly and Luke thought he was nearly free. With an air of complete disinterest she handed him back the pages and he thought she wouldn't speak until he was half way out the door.

"That decimal point is in the wrong place."

His brow furrowed, he glanced down at the long equation he had been working on but could see no problem with it.

"No it's not."

"I think you'll find it is. If you apply the correct rules, but also take into account the leverage you should have for probability. How do you expect people to take you seriously without doing things properly? You should consider every outcome."

"This is school level Maths."

"And that means it shouldn't matter? Are you encouraged to be stupid at this _school_ of yours?"

"I know," he was almost wistful. "But we have to work to a certain level, what you're suggesting is too advanced."

"But…but surely your teachers are educated enough to understand? Although given his handwriting on your previous homework I think I am expecting a bit too much."

"You read that?!"

Luke never raised his voice. Not even in the slightest. It was enough to distract Sarah Jane from her work and she glanced over at the pair discreetly to witness her son's furrowed brow and Mrs Wormwood's oblivious body language.

"I did. I thought it was very good, an interesting analysis of the data. I'm surprised he didn't give you the full marks but I suspect he didn't understand most of it."

"He told me it was obvious that I'd been looking up terms online to try to make myself look clever."

"Petty little fool. Bested by a child and unable to admit it."

They both glanced quickly and surreptitiously at Sarah Jane who registered their looks and rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, I've become accustomed to being the stupidest in my own house. You needn't worry about offending me."

In future they didn't. Luke and Mrs Wormwood would have discussions about things Sarah Jane couldn't even pronounce, but her son still asks strangers in the street questions about their personal lives and Mrs Wormwood hasn't mastered the washing machine yet. So they still relied on her.


	4. Suitable Footwear

4.

"I don't understand why you don't start wearing different shoes?"

"Other women wear them."

"Other women are used to them!"

"I'm perfectly capable of walking in this footwear thank you very much!"

"You're certainly not used to having damageable bones!"

"Ow!"

Sarah Jane ceased her increasingly vigorous movements with the bandage to glance up to the other woman's face. An image of pain and annoyance looked back at her. Mrs Wormwood had managed to fall over in her ridiculous heels for the fourth time in the three months she had been with them and Sarah Jane was very glad that she had invested in a number of bandages to strap-up an ankle on just such an occasion. Mrs Wormwood was currently sat in one of Sarah Jane's oldest chairs that, if she admitted to herself, she wasn't entirely sure would hold the weight of a fully grown adult for very long, hence why she generally used it to dump her handbag on. She was adamant she wouldn't admit this to her houseguest as this would give the other woman yet another thing to raise her impossibly sculptured eyebrows over.

She had raised them over a number of things since she had moved in with Sarah Jane; Luke's favourite television programme, Sarah's cooking, the postman's tardiness, Clyde's slang and Alan Jackson's crush, which she somehow knew about despite the Atlantic being between them. At the moment her usually quite passive face seemed to have frozen completely, her breathing increasing whenever Sarah Jane's fingers brushed her skin, although Sarah Jane hadn't noticed and had put the tenseness down to pain or embarrassment.

"There! All wrapped up, now for god's sake please don't go walking about in those heels for a few days. Apart from permanently damaging your bones it can't be doing my flooring any good. Borrow some slippers for the week."

There it was. The eyebrow. Sarah didn't even have to look up to know what the other woman was doing and that fact alone startled her more than she cared to think about.

"Right," she shot up from her chair, not noticing the foot still rested on her knee till the yelp of pain hit her ears. "Oh sorry, erm, well Lukes's going to be over at Rani's for a few more hours. Would you like some wine?"

Before the other woman has chance to respond either way Sarah Jane had produced two glasses and was unscrewing the cork of a bottle Mrs Wormwood recognised as having being rather expensive. She'd been there when it had been bought, despite Sarah not particularly liking taking her to the supermarket, apparently she touched too many things, and the wine had been her choice. She hobbled into the living room after Sarah Jane, grabbing the rest of the bottle as an afterthought. There was no use in leaving any she supposed, Sarah had stressed a number of times that things went off when they were left open.

Sarah had already settled herself at the far end of the sofa, thoughtfully leaving enough space for Mrs Wormwood to rest her injured leg which she did, rather gingerly resting her foot on the other woman's lap once more. They seemed to sit like that for hours, sipping wine instead of conversing and awkwardly avoiding the other's gaze.

"This isn't going well is it?"

Sarah Jane knew what the alien was talking about, knew exactly what she meant even if she didn't entirely agree but she couldn't for the life of her think how to reply without either inadvertently agreeing or sounding ridiculously false.

Mrs Wormwood seemed to draw her own conclusions and gracefully got to her feet once more. Sarah Jane leapt up to follow her and had to stop abruptly when the alien spun around suddenly. They were closer than they had ever been and Sarah Jane could feel the other woman's breathing, could see her chest rising up and down and in the back of her head she vaguely wondered whether Bane really needed to breath. Either way her breath was hot.

When Sarah Jane closed her eyes she could see herself in a world where food went stale in the cupboard because she'd grown accustomed to buying enough to feed a small army; could see herself puzzling over questions Luke asked her about equations that she knew she would never be able to answer; could see herself drinking alone in front of the television when Luke went out with people his own age. She doesn't much like the world she is imagining and before she can stop herself she lunges forward and grabs Mrs Wormwood into a crushing hug. The other woman went very still, although she wasn't nearly as hostile as she had been in the past and Sarah Jane felt a small swelling of pride that she had aided the growing humanity. She feels soft hands running up her back and smiles into auburn hair that's much longer than it used to be, sensing that the alien woman will pull away at any moment.

'Not now! Please,' she thought. 'Just a little bit longer.'

"Sarah? Is there something wrong?"

"No one calls me that. No one ever calls me that."

Mrs Wormwood's voice took on a lighter tone and she whispered conspiratorially into her ear. "Is this one of the occasions upon which I have to say that word I don't like?"

Sarah Jane laughed. Getting Mrs Wormwood to say 'sorry' about anything had been like getting blood from stone. She pulled back slightly and was astounded. Apart from the occasional nasty smirk she was yet to see Mrs Wormwood smile outside of Luke's company but there was undoubtedly a smile gracing the other woman's face. And it was breathtaking.

She finds herself smiling back like a bit of a lunatic but she can't help herself and it isn't until Mrs Wormwood starts to wobble on her injured ankle that they return to the sofa, both just a little bit embarrassed about the drama.


	5. Reckless Pilot

5.

"I used to be an intergalactic traveller, I don't need one of your silly pieces of card…"

"You'll need one of my _silly pieces of card _if you want to so much as reach France."

"I have no interest in reaching France. If you insist upon this escapade we had better be going somewhere more interesting than France!"

"Where then?"

"What about here? I've been reading about it - there are some fascinating puzzles that I'm sure Luke and I would have a fine time solving."

"Aside from the fact I don't think you're actually allowed to go _inside_ the pyramids you'll never get me to go near mummies again. Not even in a museum."

"Which explains why Luke was so eager for me to take him to the Tutankhamen exhibit."

"You should learn to drive. Even dropping the two of you off that day was horrible. Just knowing they were inside. Brrrrrrrr."

She shuddered over-dramatically and Mrs Wormwood suppressed a smirk, sometimes Sarah Jane was too ridiculous. Her fondness for the human woman had swelled after their previous adventure in which she had displayed intelligence far above the usual standard of her species.

"I _can_ drive but what if I'm stopped? What do you suggest I say? 'I apologise officer, I don't have a licence, but I can single-handedly pilot spacecraft with technology your planet is yet to comprehend so I'm sure I can cope.'"

"You may have a point there. Oh and please never tell Luke or Clyde you can pilot spacecraft, they'll want you to show them and I worry enough about them being allowed to drive let alone fly around in space."

"It's perfectly safe. Or do you assume I'm a reckless pilot."

"I've seen alien piloting before. When you get too involved you forget that there are no seatbelts."

"Ah yes, your precious Doctor."

"Don't…"

"I'm not him."

Sarah chanced a glance towards the passenger seat but found the other woman looking determinately out the window.

"I'm not going anywhere."


	6. Red Flannel Pajamas

6.

On Mrs Wormwood's first Christmas with them something unexpected happens.

It isn't the spaceship that flies over London that year, by now Sarah Jane has got used to seeing something decidedly odd over the City every year; it's like clockwork.

Nor is it the fact that the Doctor drops off a few presents in the middle of the night. Sarah Jane doesn't get to see him but somehow that doesn't matter as much as it used to.

It isn't that Luke is still displaying excitement one would normally associate with a six year old, this is after all only his second Christmas and he's still young enough for it not to be inappropriate.

No, for Sarah Jane the oddest thing about waking up on Christmas morning was how normal her previously extraordinary home life suddenly felt. At seven in the morning precisely, because that was the earliest time she had told Luke it was acceptable to get up, her son charged past her bedroom door with enough speed to outrun a gazelle, making so much noise in the process that she congratulates herself on having the foresight not to have purchased a semi-detached house, thus having no neighbours to complain. Groggily but with a smile she grabbed a dressing gown and began the search for coffee before her living room became nothing more than a mass of torn wrapping paper. In the hallway she wasn't surprised to encounter a similarly groggy alien and is only slightly surprised by how endearingly unkempt the other woman looks. It feels so wonderfully natural not to have to speak but rather to descend into the oncoming madness with only sleepy smiles passing between them.

"Mum!" Luke leaps upon her the moment she enters the living room, engrossing her in a joyful hug and she's terribly amused to note that he's started arranging the presents into three individual piles. As she heads into the kitchen in search of coffee (Luke's already started the machine, bless him) she's also amused by how taken aback Mrs Wormwood is by Luke grabbing her in a similar style although Sarah Jane has a feeling that the poor woman will be wearing that particular expression of bemused confusion for most of the day. She had tried to explain the ins and outs of Christmas as well as she could but it had not really been clear, most likely due to the wine they were drinking at the time. In the back of her mind she sometimes registers her intake of wine has increased considerably since the other woman arrived and is slightly worried that Mrs Wormwood is turning them both into alcoholics. On the other hand Clyde's mum had sent them several bottles of home-made mulled wine and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to drink them _on _Christmas day.

Returning to the living room with two mugs she finds the other two already sat on the floor, Mrs Wormwood smiling slightly at Luke's enthusiasm for adding presents to the piles, his naturally being the biggest one.

"Wait! Don't start without me." And with the gazelle like speed once more Luke had shot up the stairs before Sarah could lower herself to the ground.

"It's sweet of him but I think he must be putting some of yours aside for me." Tousled auburn hair half covered the face that was looking at the third pile of presents, irritating Sarah Jane no end with how good it looked despite being bed-head.

"Well, I think the 'Mrs W.' is definitely for you, Clyde I expect. We both seem to have labels with Rani's handwriting on and judging by the look of these two I think Gita and Haresh have gone with the old fall-back of chocolates and before you ask, yes you can eat mine too, I'm not too keen on chocolate."

"People bought me presents?"

"Yes they did. The people of earth have taken to you Mrs Wormwood, congratulations."

They were smiling into their coffees when Luke re-entered the room, carrying a small sack that seemed to be filled with wrapped gifts.

"I've been buying things then hiding them away, I nearly forgot all about them."

He plonked the sack carefully between the two women and returned to sorting the presents underneath the tree Sarah Jane still can't believe she agreed to buy, pine needle dropping nuisance that it was. She leaned over and began removing Luke's extremely neatly wrapped presents finding that most the presents smelt of soap, leading her to suspect he had been given his presents-for-mothers inspiration by Clyde. Looking around at her little family she had to wonder at the bizarreness that had defined her life. To see Mrs Wormwood dressed in her own old red flannel pajamas, that she can't quite believe the other woman didn't throw away at the first opportunity, and smiling indulgently at Luke as he dived through his gifts, grabbing hold of the biggest one first with an instinct that only teenagers have, did still make her think this had to be a strange dream. She rationalised that most of her life would also fall into this category, but really.

She took one last deep breath and decided that today of all days she wasn't going to complain.

"Alright Luke, you can start."

Twelve hours, a torrent of wrapping paper, far too much turkey to be healthy and two bottles of mulled wine later Sarah Jane found herself slumped unceremoniously on the sofa refusing to move. Partly because she was so comfortable that moving would be a crime, partly because there was a Christmas special about to start on BBC1 that she had been looking forward to for ages, but mostly because there was red hair splayed across most of her shoulder and if she moved she'd disturb the sleeping woman.


	7. Not Quite Parents Evening

7.

Sarah Jane knew she was going to regret this the moment she agreed to it.

Over the past few months Mrs Wormwood's assessment of Luke's school had not been favourable and so to agree to her entering the building for Parent's Evening raised far too many potential problems for Sarah Jane to count. However she had foolishly agreed, at Luke's insistence mostly, for the alien woman to accompany them. Currently she was watching the other children, sizing them up and apparently not being pleased with what she saw.

"Children truly are the most ignorant species on this planet, how do you cope everyday Luke?"

"Well, I am sort of one of them."

"Nonsense, you may have the same physical make-up but you are far more advanced than these little fools-"

She ceased her rant and Sarah Jane followed the other woman's gaze to a rather large group of messy looking teenagers, all of whom were looking over at the arriving group, most were sniggering and some were outright pointing. Sarah Jane sighed. She had been afraid of this.

"What on _earth_ are they pointing at?"

Luke looked over at the group and the familiar look of confusion came to his face.

"Oh them. I don't understand it either. They keep saying I have two mums and Clyde won't tell me why that's bad."

Sarah Jane felt a blush of anger overcome her and glanced back over at the laughing group, furious that her son had to put up with such treatment.

"Well, just ignore them in future Luke, that's the best thing to do with bullies."

"But I don't understand. They asked me if I had two mums and I said yes. And then they laughed, but its true isn't it?"

Mrs Wormwood didn't seem to be faring any better than Luke in comprehending the situation and simply looked confused and Sarah Jane, not for the first time, felt like slapping her.

"It is as I have always said; the ignorance of children is unparalleled."

Sarah Jane rolled her eyes and ushered her two companions through the building, grateful that this whole evening would be dealt with quickly. She had briefly considered that this might be a problem but she had yet to come up with the best way to explain it to Luke. Goodness knows explaining it to him would be awkward enough, trying to impress the significance of the words upon Mrs Wormwood, who should really know better, was going to be excruciating.

An hour and a half later Sarah Jane was standing quite calmly with her eyes closed, counting slowly to ten and desperately trying to convince herself that asking one of the other parents currently stood outside for a cigarette wouldn't be that dreadful a thing for her to do. All of the parents she's stood with shared the same expression; half embarrassment at something their spouse presumably had said, and half bitter at having being dragged here in the first place. She's slightly unnerved that she's the only female here and tries not to think about what this implies about her and Mrs Wormwood's relationship.

Even though there wasn't a relationship, as Sarah insisted to herself a great deal more often than she used to. Although it was quite nice that they had a friendship of sorts. Yes, it was very nice indeed, and more than a little helpful to find that Mrs Wormwood was instinctively good at a great many things Sarah Jane had always been rather rubbish at. Paying bills on time. Settling accounts. Anything that involved numbers really. And Luke, that had been very helpful. Another parent for Luke was a good thing undoubtedly but Sarah Jane really couldn't have been happier to find another parent that was even more inept than she was. And it was always nice to have someone there with whom to try and figure out the mysteries of parenting when Luke was away, even if all they did in these quests of discovery was eat take-away food and drink.

She tries to force away thoughts of the other woman but finds she can't when not half an hour ago she and Luke displayed a series of mortified expressions at the probing questions about the curriculum the alien asked his various teachers. The Maths teacher had suffered the most, finding his own education being stretched to the limit by the equations and theories Mrs Wormwood had somehow dropped into the conversation. Luke had found it funny at the time but Sarah Jane suspected that the nights activities were not going to do anything to help his reputation as an oddball. The Science teacher had not fared much better, being completely befuddled with information unknown to human kind, leading Mrs Wormwood to denounce him as useless and prompting the poor man to feel obliged to fetch Mr Chandra, while Sarah Jane thought longingly of the days that Gita and Haresh trusted her enough to teach their daughter about journalism. These days Haresh couldn't look her in the eye and stumbled over his words and Gita always made a slightly patronizing effort to talk to Mrs Wormwood despite the limited response she received. Neither of them were able to comprehend why their lovely and charming neighbour had set up house with a woman who was, at best, very, very strange.

Eventually the situation with Haresh had been sorted – Sarah Jane sometimes felt a little guilty for lying to him and GIta so much but most of the time it was just plain necessary. Luke had taken Mrs Wormwood to see the English teacher while Sarah Jane hid outside with the other smokers (she had given in and asked for one in the end), as the two Smiths were quite sure that Mrs Wormwood's limited knowledge of human literature meant she couldn't possibly get too irate about that particular syllabus.

Sarah Jane took one last blessed drag before throwing away the cigarette just in time for her companions to appear behind her.

"How was it?"

Luke smiled. Mrs Wormwood did not. Sarah Jane was unsure whether this was good or bad.

"It went well, Mr Lyle was really nice and said I could take the exam next year if I wanted to, but I've promised Clyde I'll help him, so it'd be a better use of time if we did them simultaneously."

Sarah smiled at him and tried to decide whether Pizza for tea would be an adequate reward for being a perfect son.

"Who's the Bard?"

Sarah Jane wasn't sure if she had heard the other woman correctly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Who's the Bard? Mr Lyle spoke of him as though I should have known who it was so I thought it best not to ask."

"Shakespeare. I gave you some of his plays to read."

"Ah yes. The one you like me reading to you?"

Sarah was grateful that the dark night covered her blush and instead of replying she smiled and got in the car, determined to think of simpler things.

"Pizza everyone?"


	8. A Proper Name

8.

One lazy Sunday afternoon during which Clyde, Luke and Luke's parental unit were all lounging in the living room, gazing mindlessly at the television, Clyde finally got round to asking the question that others had been too tactful to ask.

"So…Mrs W… have you actually got a proper name?"

The comfortable silence that had settled over them all was suddenly broken and the two Smiths caught each other's widened eyes and tried desperately not to look at Mrs Wormwood, instead shaking their heads vaguely at Clyde, even if they were curious about the answer themselves.

"No. Well not as such. I knew a man years ago who named me Wormwood for the end of days."

"He sounds like a barrel of laughs."

"Quite. He had a much more exuberant friend who called me Eve. He said it was for contrast."

"So none of the Bane have names?"

"We're numbered at birth. It doesn't matter now, there are no Bane left. The Bane World… well, we were mostly extinct anyway and now that Mother's gone…"

Sarah Jane looked pointedly away. There had been an unspoken agreement between them all that they never mentioned the fate of the Bane Mother…And it was spoiling such a perfect, relaxed day. Sometimes she really could swing for Clyde. On the other hand she couldn't pretend she wasn't intrigued – Mrs Wormwood was being more candid than she had ever been.

"But aren't there other girls? To, you know, pop out some squidlings?"

For a brief moment Sarah Jane was utterly convinced that Mrs Wormwood was going to revert to her original form and eat Clyde and there was absolutely nothing any of them could do about it. Instead the alien took a deep breath and with what Sarah Jane could only assume was military-trained repression answered Clyde.

"Only one. And given my past dealing with them I doubt I shall be recalled for breeding duties."

"How comes there's only you?"

Mrs Wormwood stared directly at Clyde, her piercing eyes seemingly looking deep within him, as though judging whether he was worthy of the knowledge. Sarah Jane and Luke were still diligently looking away, considering at what point it would be wise to cut Clyde's questioning off.

"Mother killed the other females at birth. There can only be one breeder you see."

Clyde was not silent for long.

"Then why are you alive?"

"She needed a leader for her invasion and didn't trust the males. I was allowed to live, but she took away…well, I'm not sure what you call it. But I cannot produce offspring…" The wistful look that graced her face was nearly enough to break Sarah Jane's heart.

"Is that why you made Luke?"

"Clyde, Luke, go and make some tea will you?"

Mrs Wormwood was still frozen, staring at Clyde with an unreadable look upon her face, however both he and Luke had the sense to do as they were told and left the room quickly.

"I never thought about it like that. At the time creating Luke was necessary, but…"

"He's your son too."

They stared at each other and eventually smiled in understanding.

"Do I really have to have a 'proper' name as Clyde puts it?"

Sarah Jane shrugged and looked thoughtful.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a name ready, in case you're ever asked. Only having a title is somewhat limiting."

"Eve then?"

"I like Eve."

"I get the feeling this is mostly for Gita's benefit."

"Oh she's only trying to be friendly! It's not her fault Bane have their sense of humour removed at birth."

"You're not remotely funny you know?"

"If I was you wouldn't know it."

From the kitchen door two teenage boys listened. One shaking his head at the weirdness you found in this house and the other smiling – he liked it when they laughed together.


	9. Three Things

9.

Sarah Jane was currently managing to do three things she had previously thought it impossible to do at the same time.

One was desperately try not to laugh at the horribly indignant looks upon all her companions faces as they contemplated the blue-grey slime that had encased them all and prompted Sarah Jane to force them all onto plastic tarpaulin she'd found in the boot. She refused to let that mess ruin her interior. Another was trying not to be too sexually aroused. Mrs Wormwood was sat in the passenger seat, following a brief squabble with Clyde about who got the privilege, and no matter how many times Sarah had told her they are impractical for missions like this the other woman would insist upon wearing white shirts. That have a tendency to go horribly see-through. The stark line of underwear is clearer than ever and it's all Sarah Jane can do to focus on her third task - driving a car full of disgruntled teenagers and one alien whose sodden clothes were making concentrating on the road impossible. Sarah is very aware that she's made it harder for herself by insisting they have the windows open as the blue gunk does smell slightly of oil, unfortunately she had not taken into account how cold the air was, and it wasn't helping the see-through shirt situation. To change her mind now though would make it too obvious.

If she didn't know any better she'd swear Mrs Wormwood was doing it all on purpose, but the annoying truth was that she seemed completely unaware of what she looked like and the effect it had on people. Indeed she was yet to suss out why strange men often shouted at her from their cars or why Sarah Jane frequently hurried her along the road when people tried to talk to her. Mrs Wormwood assumed it was due to Sarah Jane being worried about her giving away the truth about her, Luke and how they both came to be there, and therefore she got very annoyed that she wasn't trusted. So she tried her hardest to be more pleasant to Sarah Jane, not realising the friendlier she became the more hellish it became for Sarah Jane to control her emotions.

As the car trundled along, half the inhabitants ducking every time they passed pedestrians to hide their slimy blue faces, Sarah Jane couldn't help but let her eyes wonder. First to the legs only inches away from her own; clad in some sheer material that had miraculously not torn in the struggle, clinging to the contours of her calves that were elongated by the high heels she still insisted upon. The tight black skirt clung to her hips and thighs, occasionally riding up slightly and she isn't sure if it's a trick of the mind or not but she's sure that she spotted the tops of stockings.

Sarah Jane tried to focus upon the road but Mrs Wormwood twisted in her seat to talk to the teenagers giving Sarah a fairly direct view down her shirt, completely obliterating any chance she had of following the conversation. Suddenly Mrs Wormwood turned back around to face her.

"I'm much wetter than you."

Sarah very nearly skidded off the road.

"W-what?" She glanced around at the children, preparing herself for shushing Mrs Wormwood if this got too inappropriate.

"I'm much wetter than you. When the pods exploded they covered me but not you, how did you know when to duck?"

Her heart rate returned to a pace that couldn't be construed as dangerous as she pretended to be considering the question.

"Oh, erm, I don't know…Instinct I suppose, I have been chasing aliens for longer than most of you have been alive." She gave a nervous little laugh that caused her companions to look at her like she was losing her marbles and returned her attention to the road.

After dropping off Clyde and Rani she made sure she got the first shower. It was cold.


	10. How to save the world

A/N: Wow, this was a long time coming. Hopefully updates will be more frequent now.

10.

"_This _is how you save the world!"

"Shhh, they'll hear you."

"I cannot believe these were the same tactics you used when you defeated my kindred!" At least she was hissing this time, which did make her voice considerably less audible.

"I don't have tactics. I just, sort of, make it up as I go along. There's no plan."

Sarah Jane knew that although she couldn't see the other woman, Mrs Wormwood was rolling her eyes and shaking her head. Sarah Jane had become used to this look gracing the other woman's face and because of this she knew that being trapped in a cupboard whilst running from aliens was exactly the sort of situation that would lead to the exasperated expression.

"Of course you didn't, you just ambled into the factory and blew up Mother with no plans whatsoever. You do realise that being defeated isn't what annoys people about you, it's the way you do it!"

"What do you mean, _people_? As far as I'm aware that list includes you and you didn't seem to hate me that much last week when we went shopping."

They were both silent after that, leaning against the door desperately trying to discern whether it was safe or not to leave their refuge. There seemed to be nothing but the whirring of machinery on the other side of the door so Sarah Jane reached around blindly with her hand until she felt it collide with the other woman's elbow and was about to start running when-

"Oh no."

"What is it?"

"The door."

"It's not?"

"It is."

"Well open it then, I trust you have that ridiculous lipstick with you."

Trying to pretend like she'd intended to do this all along was easier in the dark. Unfortunately the door still did not budge.

"It must be a dead-lock seal."

"It's a broom cupboard! What kind of entity dead-lock seals a broom cupboard!"

"Shhh, for god sake shut up."

Secretly she agreed but she knew to mention this would result in almost certain ridicule and the smug expression to end all smug expressions.

"It wasn't sealed when we came in was it?"

Sarah Jane had a horrible feeling she knew where this was going.

"So they must have sealed us _in…_meaning that-"

"They know who we are."

"Tremendous."

They both leaned against the door once more, listening for the sounds of their captors but still hearing nothing.

"We lost them long before you dragged me in here, how could they have known?"

"Unless the door seals itself…"

"Which is a possibility I suppose. And they could have sealed the whole building without necessarily knowing where we are. It seems we shall have to wait for the children to realise we're missing so they can rescue us. I must say, given that we left them engrossed in that infantile X-box my hopes are not high for an early release."

Slumping once more against the door Sarah Jane allowed her body to slide down the metal until she was sat on the ground. If they were going to be here for a while they might as well get comfortable. She pulled out her mobile phone and knew that there would be no signal before she even checked; it was that sort of day.

Four hours later by Sarah Jane's watch and their situation had not improved. True the length of time they'd been there did suggest that the aliens didn't know they were there. Unfortunately it also suggested that the children were yet to miss them and this fact was not calming their nerves or making the small cupboard any less stifling. On the other hand Mrs Wormwood had taken off half her clothes due to the heat and she was currently resting her head on Sarah Jane's shoulder - so the afternoon wasn't a total loss. She could feel the other woman's hair tickling against the skin her own unbuttoned shirt had exposed and found that no matter how she positioned her head she could smell the perfume that had infected her house and dreams.

"Is it just me or is it getting hotter?"

Sarah Jane could just about make out the other woman's flushed cheeks by the small amount of light that was coming under the door. She could also feel the heat of Mrs Wormwood's body presses so close to her own but she thought it was best, given their current situation, that she tried not the think about that as much as possible. Before she could comment though Mrs Wormwood had sat up and was unbuttoning her already half undone blouse – without any preamble she pulled it off and added it to the pile of jacket, shoes and stockings that had already been removed. She returned her head to its previous position and Sarah thought she might explode from the feel of skin flush against her own. She began to take long, deep breaths but inhaling the warm air did little to help.

Mrs Wormwood twisted her head and stared, her head still resting on Sarah Jane's shoulder and the older woman tried so hard not to look back but found she couldn't resist. She was so bloody close! In a moment of temporary madness Sarah Jane realised that if she simply poked her tongue out she'd probably be able to lick the other woman's lips for her without moving her head at all.

"Sarah? Are you alright?"

Mrs Wormwood lifted her head off Sarah Jane's shoulder but shuffled ever closer, resting her hand against her companions cheek. Sarah Jane felt herself swim slightly out of focus but didn't know if it was the heat or the proximity of the alien woman anymore, possibly it was both, more likely it was the redhead.

"I'm…I'm fine. I…"

Sarah Jane leant in and could feel the other woman's heavy breathing. She inhaled Mrs Wormwood's perfume again, taking deep lungfulls of scented air and knew that this could ruin the harmony of their household but-

Mrs Wormwood shot forward unexpectedly and pressed her lips to Sarah's own. Sarah Jane could taste the other woman's lipstick and reached her hands up to tangle in the hair she had so long wanted to touch, threading fingers through the locks as she prized the alien's mouth open with her tongue tasting the other woman deeply and grazing her spare hand across the exposed expanse of skin across her stomach.

They fell back to the floor and Sarah had the briefest of moment to consider that she hadn't been this lost into someone since the Doctor before Mrs Wormwood's arms wounds themselves around her neck and sensible thought left her mind. All she could focus on was soft lips and a knowing tongue that battled with her own; she moved her hands lower and found a lacy bra covering hot skin, really, she thought, Mrs Wormwood couldn't have encouraged a seduction anymore if she had tried.

For a moment the rest of the world left Sarah and there was only the two of them until she felt something vibrating in her pocket. Pulling herself off a confused Mrs Wormwood she flipped open her phone.

"Luke, finally! … Where are you? … Outside the factory! …. Second floor, there's a cupboard at the end of the corridor, please be careful."

She hung up and was disappointed to see Mrs Wormwood redressing. She shared a smile with the other woman as they stood up, wishing that she could think of something to say. In the end Mrs Wormwood did the job for her moments after she pinned her to the wall.

"We've still got ten minutes."


	11. The Old Fashioned Way

11.

Mrs Wormwood is certain that she has read about this kind of behaviour in adolescents. She's equally as certain that adolescent is one thing that Sarah Jane Smith is not, which is why the alien spent a fair amount of time being confused, especially when instinctively she behaved the same way.

They grabbed any moment they could and there was a flurry of roaming hands, scorching kisses and stifled groans, but they were interrupted with such frequency that Sarah Jane thinks the world is trying to tell them something. Then the redhead kisses her again and she forgets about the world and can't think of a single reason why they shouldn't continue with their burgeoning affair. Mrs Wormwood being an alien ceases to matter. Luke's reaction never enters their minds. It is mostly because of him that they spring apart whenever they hear a noise. Finding them in a compromising position on the settee is very likely to upset him and the last thing either of them wants is to upset Luke.

He nearly caught them once and if Sarah Jane had been wearing a blouse that day she would never had managed to cover herself in time. Luckily for her Luke was distracted by the digital watch he had built in the attic and was yet to cease playing with, thus giving his mothers time to disentangle themselves and jump off the kitchen table. It had occurred to them later that night that teenagers they were not and the frustrated situation was getting out of hand.

If it weren't the summer holiday's things would not have been half as difficult, however they were unable to garner a moments peace as the children seemed to be omnipresent throughout the month of July. Eventually they went out and drove for hours to find somewhere secluded but the second they laid hands on each other Sarah Jane's alien detector had begun to go out of control. As they had long since got it to stop detecting Mrs Wormwood's presence they had been obliged to go and search for what it was, but had only discovered a chunk of a meteor rock that had to be got immediately to Mr Smith for analysis just in case. It was nothing and by the time they had taken their now routine cool showers the children had settled down in the living room to watch a DVD.

The following day didn't seem any more promising and Mrs Wormwood was attempting to combat the problem by reading the most boring book she could find (Luke's geography test book as it turned out, really humans were so very limited) when the front door slammed and Sarah Jane appeared in the living room looking smug.

"I've got rid of them."

She almost didn't believe it but licked her lips in anticipation all the same.

"How?"

"Well it occurred to me that the old methods were probably the most effective?"

"Old methods? Have you sold them into slavery?"

"No, but I gave them thirty pounds and told them not to be back till seven because I had work to do."

"And I thought Luke was clever…"

Sarah Jane had latched her lips onto Mrs Wormwood's before she could finish her sentence.

"Don't complain."

She didn't, but she did pull Sarah Jane down with her onto the sofa and tried futilely to maintain some level of decorum rather than just rushing things. Sarah Jane was tugging at her shirt and didn't seem too worried about going slow.

"This. Off. Now."

Mrs Wormwood complied quickly and soon after got her hands beneath the fabric of Sarah's bra without bothering to take the shirt off her first.

As Sarah Jane moaned into the alien's mouth there was a knock at the door and they both looked up from the sofa.

"For God sake!"

"Shhh, they'll go away."

The knock came again.

"Sarah! Are you in there? It's only me!"

Mrs Wormwood rolled her eyes spectacularly and whispered in her ear, and Sarah Jane, not for the first time, cursed the other woman's voice for being so intoxicating. There was no way they were answering the door.

"If I were to send Gita to the outer reaches of the galaxy do you think anyone would miss her? Honestly?"

"Shhh."

Sarah Jane forced herself not to smile; she refused to encourage the other woman.

"I think she's gone. Unless…oh no! Move now."

She grabbed Mrs Wormwood and pulled her into the hallway; looking back and seeing Gita appear at her window.

"She didn't see us. Upstairs now."

"To hide?"

Sarah Jane felt her own smile begin to match Mrs Wormwood's. She knew hers would never be quite so lavishly sexy.

"She can't catch us up there. I can't believe I'm hiding – it's like being sixteen again."

Mrs Wormwood briefly considered mentioning to Sarah Jane that she had left her blouse in the front room and Gita would definitely notice it however at the rate she was being pulled up the stairs she doubted she could find the breath.


	12. Never Leave

_12._

After two months they were still unable to keep their hands off each other.

Neither Sarah Jane nor Mrs Wormwood saw this as particularly problematic however the human woman was beginning to wonder whether it had been the sexual attraction that had drawn them together in the first place and this concerned her. Neither of them were the sort to talk of the future but Sarah Jane was beginning to realise that if she was ever going to have anything resembling a real relationship than this was as close as she was going to get to having both companionship and the freedom she craved. The alien would never crowd her and had learnt to read her moods rather well, but she was always unerringly present if Sarah Jane found herself becoming morose.

There was nothing for it; she was going to have to vocalize her concerns.

The house was not likely to be the best place – the school holidays were over and the three teenagers had head off to do their a-levels but despite the increase in workload they seemed to be evermore present at 13 Bannerman Road – and if it wasn't them Mr Smith could always be counted on to find an impending disaster. Even when the Universe and the youngsters were quiet she found that her physical need for the other woman overcame her rationality and any talking they might have done was soon forgotten in a heated haze of skin and sweat.

No, it would have to be somewhere in public Sarah Jane decided; especially since Mrs Wormwood had finally learnt to regulate her voice in public.

She made tea for Luke, making enough for four as he would invariably be joined by his two friends and a girl from their college that he seemed quite keen on, and was out the door with the other woman before any questions could be asked.

"May I ask where we are going?"

"I don't know yet."

"Is Mr Smith sending us co-ordinates-"

"Not an alien. Just…we need to talk."

"Alright."

"When we get there."

Sarah Jane thought it was a credit to the trust the other woman now had in her that she didn't ask any questions and simply got into the car, checking her hair in the wing mirror.

"Will we be outdoors? It's raining."

Sarah Jane looked towards the darkening sky but couldn't feel anything. Sure enough the skies immediately opened and she shot into the car before she could get too wet.

"If you are intending to mess up my hair I would much rather know about it now and I won't bother trying to keep it dry."

Sarah Jane tried to return the smirk being sent towards her but the knots in her stomach were becoming worse as her anxiety grew.

"No, I er…I don't know. I just-"

"You needed to talk."

"Yes."

"About us?"

"Yes."

"You would prefer us to cease our sexual relationship?"

"Y-No! No, definitely not that."

"Am I doing something wrong?"

"No," for the first time Sarah Jane looked at the other woman properly and saw a genuine concern in her face. "No, not at all. It's me. And if I'm honest I really don't know what it is that's wrong with me. I'm just so happy at the moment."

"Shall we carry on as before then and see if you remain happy with the arrangement?"

Sarah Jane smiled slightly.

"You don't understand."

"I'll never leave you."

"Don't-"

"I mean, apart from anything else, where would I go?"

Sarah Jane rolled her eyes but appreciated the sentiment all the same. The rain was beating down on the car roof and Sarah Jane idly wondered whether the teenagers would wonder, or indeed notice, why the two of them were still sat in the drive.

"Shall we go back inside?"

"I'd rather not."

"Just sit here then."

Sarah Jane sighed and blinked away the threatening moisture in her eyes.

"You can go if you like."

"Sarah-"

"No one call me Sarah except-"

"Me, yes I know. Rani has told me several times that you dislike it but you never seem to mind during my more critical moments."

Sarah Jane felt the corners of her mouth twitch slightly but it was enough to encourage Mrs Wormwood to continue.

"I realise that you will always be concerned that I will leave but I would quite like the opportunity to prove my longevity to you."

Sarah Jane closed her eyes and felt a soft hand cup her cheek.

"I couldn't be without you Sarah."

Sarah Jane let out a sudden sob that she was unsuccessful in stifling entirely and before she could begin to form excuses the other woman leaned over and kissed her hard with a desperation that they had never shared. When Mrs Wormwood sat back into her own seat, still holding her hand, Sarah Jane took a soothing breath and felt a weight vanish from her heart.

"It's bizarre but I'm alright now... Panic over I suppose."

Mrs Wormwood smiled at her and Sarah Jane was struck by the realization that she never saw the other woman smile at anyone like that.

"I think for the sake of not appearing foolish in front of the children we should actually go somewhere."

"Yes," she turned the ignition and the car rumbled to life. "Where to?"

"Well…the windows will get too rain soaked to see though soon…we could always head to that lay-by we found last month by the park…"

Sarah Jane smirked at the other woman.

"It took you four months to 'remember' how to cook anything I showed you but you remember a lay-by we went to once?"

"It was a memorable afternoon. Start driving: let's see if we can better the memory."

Sarah Jane didn't argue and instead put the car into gear and finally pulled away from the house, very aware that her lover was already fiddling with her buttons.

She smiled to herself, her heart bursting all of a sudden and put her foot down heavily.


	13. Muddling Through

_13._

Sarah Jane found she had quite forgotten how much endurance she could have when the occasion called for it.

It was just as well really because Mrs Wormwood was seemingly inexhaustible. It was one of many words that Sarah Jane had thought of to describe the other woman through the night but as the alien's hand crept stealthily between her thighs once more it was the one at the forefront of her mind.

"Again?"

"You've tired of me already I take it?"

Mrs Wormwood's words were mumbled; she had already latched her mouth onto Sarah's breast and was succeeding in making a nipple that seemed as hard as it could get even tighter. Sarah Jane squirmed towards her fingers.

"You apparently don't know the meaning of the word tired. Not that I'm going to comp-"

Mrs Wormwood shot up quickly and latched her lips onto Sarah Jane's, drawing them apart slowly and sliding her tongue softly against the other woman's as her fingertips dipped into Sarah Jane's already sensitive entrance, grazing her slightly with long fingernails. Breathless Sarah Jane broke the kiss.

"Stop being such a tease and fuck me."

Mrs Wormwood met her gaze and Sarah Jane was captivated once more by the darkened depths of the aliens blue eyes. The red-haired woman slid up and pushed their lips together in a much softer kiss than any they had shared since falling into bed earlier that afternoon.

"Please, I need you to…"

"Again?"

Sarah Jane rolled her eyes at the amusement in the alien's tone but really didn't feel in any position to begin an argument.

"Again. Please."

Mrs Wormwood gave her the smirk that had gotten them into this position in the first place and crawled down Sarah's body, using her tongue to trace the skin she encountered as she sought out the point where the older woman was most sensitive. She latched her lips onto Sarah Jane's heat and quickly slipped fingers inside her too, curving them in what she had learnt that afternoon was the most desirable angle and feeling her chest tighten when Sarah Jane moaned her name as she writhed above her.

Mrs Wormwood kept up her pace, flicking her tongue mercilessly over Sarah Jane with what seemed to the human woman an impossible degree of endurance and speed. Sarah tangled her fingers in the messy auburn hair that she had grown to love so much and felt as though if she could pull this woman inside her then it would still not be enough.

Mrs Wormwood looked up at her again and Sarah Jane felt herself reaching her climax. The other woman's eyes were frequently her undoing, she loved how they shone when aroused, danced when amused and even flickered when annoyed. She loved that they were very nearly the same colour as the blue box that had dominated her life so very much. But most of all she loved that they looked at her as though she were the most desirable being in the Universe and when Sarah Jane looked back she truly believed that Mrs Wormwood meant what she said about never leaving her.

When Sarah Jane regained her senses she opened her eyes to see the other woman resting her head lightly against her thigh, stroking her fingers over Sarah's stomach and with an inscrutable look upon her face.

"You will tire of me eventually."

Sarah Jane groaned at the sudden seriousness of the situation.

"No."

"You will-"

"I love you."

Mrs Wormwood was silent and didn't meet her gaze. Sarah Jane let her head fall back into the pillow and closed her eyes in annoyance at her own admission – she had succeeded in immediately making their situation awkward. It had been going so well too. The friendship they had fallen into hadn't changed in the slightest and with the addition of an abundance of wonderful sex into her life Sarah Jane felt she could kick herself for potentially spoiling things. On the other hand, she consoled herself, there was the chance that Mrs Wormwood wouldn't understand the concept of love and she'd be let off the hook.

"I…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"I love you. I may need you to…explain it to me again, I can't be sure, but I think I might."

Sarah Jane bit her lip, suddenly amused by the situation; she had never heard the other woman speak so tentatively. She wriggled down the bed until she was close enough to kiss Mrs Wormwood.

"I don't claim to be an expert myself," she began placing short butterfly kisses over the other woman's face and neck. "But I'm sure we'll muddle through somehow."


	14. Between Two Roses

_14._

One day the Doctor turns up. There is nothing earth-shattering going on. Her just turns up for a cup of tea and Sarah Jane could slap him for never doing this in the thirty or so years in which she was horrible lonely but instead waiting till she had a life and a family of her own. A lover of her own.

"Sarah Jane! So how've you been?"

He settles himself into her settee with a mug of tea that's at least half sugar and a rather large plateful of biscuits and she wonders vaguely if excessive food consumption is a feature of all aliens.

"I've been very well actually. I have a son, but you've seen him and, erm…"

"What?" He stares at her uncomprehendingly for a few moments before his grin widens. "Is there someone else in your life?"

She nervously fiddled with her hands as the Doctor looked at her expectantly.

"Well yes. I've told you about where Luke came from of course…you see the woman that made him, I mean the alien that made him…she's moved in too."

Before the Doctor could respond Mrs Wormwood came into the room with a grim callousness in her face that Sarah Jane had not seen in the other woman since she had moved in. She sighed dejectedly.

"I thought I knew you better than this Doctor, I never expected you to come back. You usually don't."

"Impossible…"

The shock on the Doctor's face was palpable but to Sarah Jane the fact that her lover looked on the verge of tears for only the second time she had ever known her was more concerning. Neither of the aliens seemed to notice her look of confusion.

"It's been so long. I didn't even know you'd survived the war."

"Yes, I've been staying here, with Sarah Jane. It has nothing to do with you," she added hastily. "It's just a coincidence."

"You used to say there was no such thing."

"Well I was very, very young wasn't I? We both were."

She sat down next to Sarah Jane and looked into her eyes, smiling faintly. Sarah Jane recognized the bittersweet expression and desperately didn't want to make things worse but couldn't control her curiosity.

"So you two obviously know each other…?"

"After I left you in Croyden-"

"Aberdeen!" The two women supplied at the same time.

"Yeah...sorry about that but anyway on my way back to Gallifrey I stopped in the nebula that used to contain the Bane planet and she managed to stow away in the TARDIS, just like you did actually. Except she tried to steal it."

Sarah Jane turned her shocked look to Mrs Wormwood.

"Well, obviously I didn't succeed."

"You picked her up right after me?"

"I only take the best Sarah, you know that."

She smiled at him fondly. When she looked in the direction of the other alien she tried to conjure up some indignation for the secrecy but found she couldn't. Instead she took Mrs Wormwood's hand in her own.

"You were involved in the war?"

"Briefly. I was amongst the fleet at the Gates of Elysium. I've already told you what the Daleks under Davros' control did to my planet…I won't pretend it wasn't satisfying."

"You flew ships?"

"Yes," off Sarah Jane's immediately worried look she carried on, "I won't tell Luke or Clyde."

"It's not that. All this time…I bet some of the things we do seem pathetic to you?"

"Not one thing. You do more worthwhile things in a day than most of us do in a lifetime."

The Doctor tried to stand and leave but with their free hands the two women pulled him back down.

"You're not going anywhere."

"You owe us at least one afternoon."

He looked back and forth between the two women, suddenly struck with the notion that allowing the two of them to gang up on him was not necessarily one of his wisest moments


End file.
